


"He used to be my best friend."

by haato_biito



Series: -MEMORIA- [5]
Category: -MEMORIA- The World I Remember No Longer Exists
Genre: F/M, Gen, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Original Work(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 04:27:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11305674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haato_biito/pseuds/haato_biito
Summary: Somehow, she had the feeling that this concerned her more than she had initially realized. Her fingers hesitated on the touch keyboard, hovering over different characters to try and concoct a reply that did not hint at her suspicions whilst trying to not drop the phone on her face.





	"He used to be my best friend."

**Author's Note:**

> This is an original work by me, [tumblr user asuuna](http://asuuna.tumblr.com), based around my OCS from a work-in-progress novel, [-MEMORIA-](http://kaitoandkiyomi.tumblr.com). This is a ficlet I wrote purely for my own enjoyment, and nothing here is representative of the canon story. If you want to find out more about my characters and the main plot, [please click here!~](http://kaitoandkiyomi.tumblr.com/summary)

Amongst the deep, swirling pool of darkness, the only relieving light came from the moon as its beams shone fleetingly and delicately through the shimmering curtains. It brought a familiar sense of comfort to Kiyomi; she had always preferred the monochrome gradients of the night as they shifted from blackened shadows to illuminated highlights with the curtain’s movements. It took away the stark realness that daytime presented, and for the slightest of seconds, made her feel that she was simply there.

She was there and nothing else in that moment mattered.

The night was almost romantic, and so she found herself also becoming romantic, and caving in to her more tender tendencies, she began rereading old text messages.

Messages from Kaito.

They had only been talking earlier that day at school, yet recently, it had become a custom for them to text outside of school hours as well about idle things; homework, books, television shows, friends.

It was only today that the topics of the conversation had shifted…

 _‘So… Have you thought about your future?’_ she had asked him, just out of the blue. She meant nothing by it – simply a curious, fleeting thought. He had typed back after a minute’s delay,

 _‘No. It’s hard to think beyond today, to be honest.’_ followed by, _‘Why?’_

_‘I was just thinking that I hadn’t thought about my future, either. It’s kinda scary, don’t you think?’_

_‘That’s why I tried to avoid the topic.’_ Kiyomi instantly picked up on the use of past tense, and enquired,

_‘Tried?’_

_‘Well, recently things have begun to change.’_

_‘What do you mean? For the better or for the worse?’_

_‘For the better.’_ There was a pause, and she was about to type a reply when her phone notified an incoming message, _‘Man, Shimizu-san, if only you knew how much for the better.’_

Her eyes had widened at that. Somehow, she had the feeling that this concerned her more than she had initially realized. Her fingers hesitated on the touch keyboard, hovering over different characters to try and concoct a reply that did not hint at her suspicions whilst trying to not drop the phone on her face. She reread the message, feeling heat tingle up her neck, and she quickly replied so she would not close the application out of complete embarrassment,

_‘I’m glad.’_

His reply was quick, as if he had similar thoughts to her.

 _‘I’ve started to think about the future because I can finally see a future.’_ followed by, _‘It’s a future with you in it.’_

The conversation had abruptly ended there, because upon her initial reading of the fragile message, she had locked the phone as quick as lightning and thrown it to the other end of her bed, the blood pulsating in her cheeks and her heart racing like an old steam engine. Fast and hard.

Yet now, with forewarning on her side, she reread the message under the light of the stars with a less severe reaction. She could not stop her face from coloring, but in the intimate envelops of darkness, she felt more at ease.

The message could be interpreted in a myriad of different ways, and they all floated through Kiyomi’s head in a daze. The prospect of a future with her made the future worth thinking about for him. Her presence in his life gave him a reason to continue. The weight of that sat comfortably on her shoulders.

That was a weight she was willing to hold.

In an instant, the screen on her phone changed from the messaging application to a different one. The device buzzed gently in her hand.

A call.

She answered it.

“Hana-chan, good evening.” She spoke into the microphone sweetly, quiet enough as to not disturb her parents.

“I didn’t expect you to answer, Kiyomi. It’s rare for you to be up this late unless it’s a Friday night.” Hana’s voice replied, her tone soft.

“I… I’ve had a lot on my mind recently.”

“In a good way, or a bad way?”

“In a good way, I think…” Kiyomi replied uncertainly, and the notion this gave across made Hana chuckle.

“You think? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well… I’m sure it’s supposed to be a good way. But it’s hard to know.”

“What’s up? Tell me.”

“It’s just… It’s a bit embarrassing.” Kiyomi brought a hand to her free cheek to try and steady her heart.

“Oh, I see what’s happening now.” Hana replied slyly, “This has something to do with Takahashi-kun, doesn’t it?”

“Please don’t say it out loud!” Kiyomi pleaded, shaking her head in discomfiture.

“C’mon, Kiyomi. You know that you can’t avoid this forever. Tell me what’s happening with him.”

“Well… We were texting…”

“Hmm?”

“And… He said something… and I couldn’t quite make out what he meant.”

“Go on.” Hana urged.

“He said, ‘I can see the future because…” she hesitated, struggling to force the words from her heart, “because I see a future with you in it’.”

For a couple of painstaking, silent seconds, there was no reply from Hana. Then, as if she could not hold it back any longer, she began to laugh.

“Hey! Don’t laugh Hana-chan, it’s mean! That’s really what he said!” Somehow, in the midst of her laughter, Hana was able to say,

“I-I’m sorry Kiyomi. I’m not laughing at him. I-I’m laughing at the way you said it, it was just too cute.”

“Please take this seriously, Hana-chan! I haven’t replied to him yet and I don’t know what to do.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll help, don’t worry.” Hana’s laughter died down, and she added, “He feels safe around you, Kiyomi. He wants to continue to have you there through thick and thin. If Natsuko was in this call, she would tell you it sounded like a proposal.”

“I-It was _not_ a proposal!” Kiyomi defended, resisting the urge to once again throw her phone away from her troubles, “He was just being honest, right?”

“Right, of course.” Hana replied seriously, “Well, what do you think of it?”

“Me?”

“You _are_ the one he aimed the message at, right?”

“Yeah, that’s… that’s true.”

“So? C’mon, you have to have felt some way when you read the message, right?”

“Yeah, of course I did. _**He used to be my best friend**_ , but now I’m not so sure that’s how he feels.”

“Hey! I thought I was your best friend, Kiyomi!”

“You are! Both you and Nacchan are my closest best friends. But Takahashi-kun is, too.”

“I’m glad you cleared that up.” Hana replied light-heartedly, a smile in her voice, “So, what do you think of him now?”

“I think… I think he wants to be more than friends.”

“And…?”

“And I think I do, too.”

“Of course, you do! You’ve been staring after him for literally eight months straight. Natsuko and I don’t even place bets anymore, because I kept on losing.”

“Y-You used to place bets on me?!”

“Now, now, they were only silly bets, like, ‘If Kiyomi is still staring at Takahashi-kun by lunchtime, I will go and grab lunch for all of us from the canteen’.”

“So that’s why you were going to the canteen so often recently, Hana-chan.” Kiyomi replied solemnly, her initial gratefulness at Hana’s selfless act being lost in the truth.

“Yes, but that’s not the topic of concern here. You think you feel the same way about Takahashi-kun, right?” There was a line of static on the other end, and Hana repeated, “Right, Kiyomi?”

“Stop making me say it out loud!”

“You need to be more truthful with your feelings, Kiyomi. Don’t be scared to say how you feel.”

“R-Right!” she stuttered, trying desperately to steady her heart.

“Well then, you just need to tell him that, yeah?”

“You make it sound so easy…” Kiyomi replied quietly.

“I’ll make it easy.” Hana ensured, the motherly tones in her voice coming to fruition, “Are you able to put me on speaker?”

“It should be fine if it’s quiet.”

“Okay, put me on speaker and open up LINE.” Kiyomi put Hana on speaker, but her finger hesitated over the application.

“I-I can’t do this…”

“I’m gonna spoon-feed you the lines, Kiyomi. Don’t you worry about a thing.”

“But the message should ultimately come from me, shouldn’t it?”

“And how long has it been since you should’ve replied?”

“… Five hours…”

“And how long have we been friends for, now?”

“Eleven years…”

“Exactly. C’mon, I’ll handle it. Open up LINE and go into your chat.” Kiyomi obliged, “Now type, ‘I hope that future will become a reality. I feel the same way, and the future looks bright because of it.’ or something like that.”

Kiyomi began to type out Hana’s pre-prepared message as she spoke it aloud, but stopped halfway.

“Doesn’t this sound too… I don’t know, too cliché?”

“Did you even read what he wrote? That’s the most cliché thing I have seen in my life.” Kiyomi hummed in reluctant agreement, and tried to continue the message, but hesitated again. Shaking her head, she deleted the message.

“It just doesn’t sound right, Hana-chan…”

“That’s fine. At least you know what would sound right, then. It’s a step in the right direction.”

“I know, thank you. I really do appreciate it.”

“That’s what I’m here for.” Hana replied cheerily, “So, have any ideas come to you after the suggestion I gave you?” Kiyomi stared at the message Kaito sent one more time:

_‘It’s a future with you in it.’_

“I… I think I’ve got something.”

“Well, that’s great! What is it?”

“It’s a secret.” Kiyomi replied cheekily, beginning to type on her phone’s keyboard.

“Huh? First you’re clueless, and then when you _do_ think of something, you won’t even tell me? What gives?” Hana replied teasingly.

“This is just between me and Kaito-kun. You’ll find out tomorrow when I see you at school, I promise.”

Kiyomi hit send.

“You better keep that promise – Hey! You just called him Kaito-kun, didn’t you?!” Hana practically yelled.

“I-I did no such thing!” Kiyomi replied defensively, knowing fully well that she would never be able to escape this slip-of-the-tongue for the rest of her days.

“You so did! You _so_ did – I heard it as clear as anything!”

“Hana-chan, please!” Kiyomi pleaded, yet laughed all the same. Through her bickering, she peered back down at her message, which wrote,

_‘I can see a future with you in it, too._ _♡_ _’_

**Author's Note:**

> This work was inspired by tumblr user [libbybleu](libbybleu.tumblr.com)! Thank you for the prompt! [The prompt list can be found here!~](http://asuuna.tumblr.com/post/162232047197)


End file.
